Learning to read both the room and the balance sheet

Internal communicators already spend a lot of time proving what they’re up to is impactful for employees. But leaders also need to see how their messaging is impactful for the business.

During Ragan’s Communications Boot Camp Virtual Conference last year, Catherine Hernandez-Blades, president of the Americas at the World Communications Forum Association, told the audience that the ultimate metric their organizations chase is financial performance.

“Your CEO’s love language is math,” she said. “They’re focused on outcomes, not activities. We get caught up in clip counts and other vanity metrics, but that’s not what your C-suite is measured on. They’re asking, ‘How are your efforts contributing to the business? How are you helping us make money?’ That’s the language communicators need to learn to speak.”

She added that by gaining an understanding of the company’s financial priorities, communicators can also figure out how to prioritize their own departmental budgets.

“Think about vendor contracts, software, equipment and outside services the same way the business thinks about costs,” Hernandez-Blades said. “Protect your people whenever you can, but understand where flexibility exists so you’re prepared before someone else makes those decisions for you.”